What is the Wrathgate?

At the start of Wrath of the Lich King, the Alliance and Horde attacked Northrend from different zones, gradually meeting up in Dragonblight. Here, the two factions agreed to work together to attack Angrathar the Wrathgate, a key location that served as a gateway into Icecrown. Led by Highlord Bolvar Fordragon and Warlord Dranosh Saurfang, the troops made some progress fighting the early waves of the Lich King's forces--although it all went south very quickly when the Lich King made an appearance, summoned by Fordragon.

In short order, the Lich King killed Dranosh Saurfang, and before he could fight Bolvar, the Forsaken rained down plague upon the battlefield. Many Alliance and Horde troops perished, and the Lich King was seriously wounded. The red dragons from the nearby Wyrmrest Temple purified the area, cleansing the entire battlefield. Although Bolvar, his body badly burnt by the purifying flames, survived in a limbo between life and death, he was captured by the Scourge.

Players then completed the special Battle for the Undercity questline, which can no longer be completed in Battle for Azeroth. The Horde fought through the Undercity to unseat Varimathras and Putress, restoring power to Sylvanas. The Alliance, suffering major losses as a result of the plague, viewed the battle as a betrayal by the entire Horde, and attacked the Undercity with the hope of reclaiming it for the Alliance. Along the way, Varian discovers mutilated human corpses and realizes that the Forsaken were secretly creating a plague during years of the faction truce. The Battle for the Undercity ended with a declaration of war and clash between the faction leaders, only stopped by Jaina teleporting the Alliance out.

Why is there Controversy?

The Wrathgate was back in the news following an interview with Alex Afrasiabi confirming Sylvanas' involvement. This sparked a wave of controversy and discussion as to how deeply she was involved and her motivations. Pre-Cataclysm, Sylvanas mainly seemed interested in defeating the Lich King instead of controlling both factions, even going so far as to commit suicide in Icecrown Citadel after his death.

"I've heard these discussions on the internet about 'she's going off the rails', but is she? I've been writing Sylvanas personally since 2006, and this is pretty much - the Wrathgate and the Blight and the Forsaken - in character. Those were all under Sylvanas' orders. What we're seeing now is an escalation of the plans Sylvanas has, clearly, and we're in the middle of that."

We've analyzed this statement, providing our own thoughts on her motivations, in this post.

Polygon Interview

Polygon flat-out asked Blizzard "Was Sylvanas behind the Wrathgate?" Blizzard was a bit of a tease in the reply, providing a few more details while not answering the question directly:

“Sylvanas engineered the Blight in the first place, but she wasn’t the one who deployed it,” said Danuser.

“There are interesting story threads behind the question of who was at fault,” Danuser says, suggesting that the ultimate order might not have come from Putress at all. He notes that Varimathras, a long-time advisor of Sylvanas who betrayed her and was slain during Wrath of the Lich King, only to return during Legion, had some “interesting” things to say about Sylvanas.

“We’re not saying one way or another,” Danuser said. “We want you to see how the story plays out in the chapters to come. Sylvanas has certainly had an interesting history, and looking back at the choices she made is something we want the players to look back at and revisit.”

Varimathras is a bit of an unreliable narrator, as he's ended up tortured as a boss in Antorus, but here's what he has to say about Sylvanas:

Alliance:Varimathras: So, your Alliance still endures. Longer than I expected, though she has already planted the seeds of its downfall. She is patient, that one.Varimathras: When your thrones run red with betrayal... when your holy places burn and the shattered mask hangs above your hearth... only then you will know. And it will be too late.Varimathras: It matters not. You are blind to the true darkness closing in around you.

Horde:Varimathras: So, she found me at last. Sent her underlings to finish the job.Varimathras: Tell me, when she seized your throne of hides and bones, was your allegiance forced? No... I'd wager you surrendered it willingly... or were convinced you did.Varimathras: It matters not. You are blind to the darkness in your midst.

The "No... I'd wager you surrendered it willingly... or were convinced you did" line could refer to the upcoming Vol'jin questline, in which characters delve deeper into why Vol'jin appointed Sylvanas Warchief and discover things may be complicated. During the investigation, multiple characters refer to "darkness," echoing Varimathras:

Vol'jin: A darkness in me mind be keeping me from remembering what happened da day I named Sylvanas warchief.Dere be dark powers at play here. Powers dat be hidin' something from us.

While we don't know the extent of Sylvanas' involvement in the Wrathgate, it's clearly something Blizzard wants us to re-examine, as well as Varimathras' dialogue from Legion. If you'd like to read our interpretation of the recent Wrathgate statements, check out our article Interpreting Alex Afrasiabi's Statement on Sylvanas and the Wrathgate. Whatever your interpretation, it's fascinating that in-game events from a decade ago are so vibrant, generating such passion and discussion within the community.

Комментарии

Комментарий от zazhuu

on 2019-01-11T20:44:50-06:00

Sounds like either Alex Afrasiabi told too much, indicating more stuff about Sylvanas is going to come to light, or that he didn't tell anyone else on his team that she did in fact order the blight at the wrathgate.

Комментарий от stym

on 2019-01-11T20:54:37-06:00

It would make sense that she engineered the plague as a means to create more forsaken and that Varimathras and Putress betrayed her. Her suicide attempt is kind of a heavy wrench in any kind of attempt at integrating that in some kind of extremely long con, though.

I wonder how they are going to wriggle out of that one, or if they are just going to use a cop out.

Комментарий от Cronovey

on 2019-01-11T21:05:45-06:00

It would make sense that she engineered the plague as a means to create more forsaken and that Varimathras and Putress betrayed her. Her suicide attempt is kind of a heavy wrench in any kind of attempt at integrating that in some kind of extremely long con, though.

I wonder how they are going to wriggle out of that one, or if they are just going to use a cop out.

I think it was mainly created as a weapon against the Lich King as her "long term" plan and it was just unleashed by Putress at the Wrathgate. In fact, it may have even been under her orders as a "I don't care what it takes kill him" sort of thing, and then after it failed to kill him and the Alliance got angry she used him as a scapegoat and sent us to kill off the people who could say "Hey man, she told us to". After the Lich King's defeat she probably didn't really care at the time, seeing as that particular variety of the plague also killed the undead and didn't raise them as Forsaken at all.

Once he was defeated, she attempted to kill herself but upon finding out what awaits on the other side decided she'd rather not deal with that and now that she realizes she's going to be forced to live out a cursed existence decides that if she's stuck living, she better make sure her people survive too otherwise she really does have no purpose. This is when she starts raising the dead as Forsaken instead of just using her "kill all" plague on everything instead. If you look at it in those terms, both the new information and the old reconcile quite nicely.

Basically the plague was made as a catch all to kill the Lich King no matter what, her mission is over so she kills herself, realizes hell isn't as great as it seems, and decides that if she has to live as a ruler...well, you need people to rule over.

Комментарий от Snakeslick

on 2019-01-11T21:14:15-06:00

I'm reayd ot find out Sylvanas is being controlled by Sargeras. Even though Illidan is keeping him chained up. I'm telling you, Sargeras is not done here

Комментарий от TsoBaphomet

on 2019-01-11T21:25:56-06:00

This is a mess. They seem to just be making up the story on the spot.

Комментарий от Joshmaul

on 2019-01-11T21:51:21-06:00

This is a mess. They seem to just be making up the story on the spot.

They kind of have to now, I think. They built Sargeras up to be the ultimate big bad of the Warcraft universe, behind just about everything leading up to this point - the Horde, the Scourge, so on - with the Lich King and (to a degree) Illidan as proxy antagonists, and the Old Gods as kind of a side quest. Now Sargeras is more or less out of the way, they're like "well, crap, what now?"

Комментарий от Lont

on 2019-01-11T22:04:14-06:00

My wish now is what it has always been; that people will remember that before Sylvanas was the Banshee Queen she was the Ranger-General. To a very great extent Arthas twisted her into what she is. Her destiny was to die her hero's death on those poisoned fields outside Silvermoon. The question as to how the woman (she elf?) she was became the villain she seems now to be, and how that might relate to the very unlikely betrayals of risen night elves on Darkshore, is a story line I would be very interested in hearing more about. What we're being put through now is frustrating and maddening, but it might end up being a really good story. As a lot of other people have said, we're only on chapter three of what might be a very long, satisfying book. Maybe.

Комментарий от Luck4

on 2019-01-11T22:25:10-06:00

Sylvanas lore makes no sense, and to appease the playerbase, her actions will make even less sense than what Garrosh did.

This expac will end like WoD, where everyone tried to forgot as soon as possible what happened there.

Комментарий от DiscordianKitty

on 2019-01-11T22:34:45-06:00

Gotta admit, I'm getting a little tired of "oooh you just wait and see" like they have some amazing storytelling just around the corner that's going to make sense and be great... only for them to go with Garrosh 2.0 every time. Morally grey Sylvanas, who you could still respect and admire and even see value in an alliance with, was interesting. Evil undead Garrosh Sylvanas is not interesting.

Комментарий от Luck4

on 2019-01-11T22:37:34-06:00

This is a mess. They seem to just be making up the story on the spot.

They kind of have to now, I think. They built Sargeras up to be the ultimate big bad of the Warcraft universe, behind just about everything leading up to this point - the Horde, the Scourge, so on - with the Lich King and (to a degree) Illidan as proxy antagonists, and the Old Gods as kind of a side quest. Now Sargeras is more or less out of the way, they're like "well, crap, what now?"

Yeah, people are already feeling like they dont know where to go anymore, just look at Uldir, that place is a mess where most bosses is just random pixels to kill without any good lore or backstory.

I think instead of killing Sylvanas or making a redemption arc for her rn, they should get rid of her for now, and use her as a hook for the next expac like Garrosh and Gul'dan. It's the only way to make a more deep explanation if they're trying to redeem her.

They also can make her more appealing following Arthas steps and becoming a big threat giving her some "power ups" and we can deal with her next expac as well.

I only dont want a poor excuse to redeem her rn like they did with Grom, dude that was distasteful.

Комментарий от hotaru251

on 2019-01-11T23:40:21-06:00

it was never if she was the one who had blight made..

the entire problem was him stating she TOLD them to blight the gate...which seeign as at the saem tiem she was nearly killed in ehr own city by betrayal is HIGHLY unlikely.

EVERONE knows she created blight by havign her chemists design it. Nobody says she isnt. Its the her orderign ti to be used at the gate that never happened in Wrath :|

TBH BFA's lore for saurfang and sylv is some of the worst in the game.

Great warrior to traitor and Sylvanas went from a growing caring leader (in her own way) to a death worshiping wannabe :|

Sylvanas is especially bad considering her actions in BFA make NO sense when you look at ehr past actions and achievemtns (even back into her time as a living elf).

And idc what devs say...they DID do a garrosh 2.0 to her when they stated they werent -.-

Комментарий от Rahel5

on 2019-01-11T23:41:20-06:00

Sylvanas and good stories ?

Oxymoron.

I hope the story will change for something more interesting soon enough than this Sylvanas spam

Комментарий от mysticalos

on 2019-01-12T00:30:18-06:00

This is a mess. They seem to just be making up the story on the spot.

They kind of have to now, I think. They built Sargeras up to be the ultimate big bad of the Warcraft universe, behind just about everything leading up to this point - the Horde, the Scourge, so on - with the Lich King and (to a degree) Illidan as proxy antagonists, and the Old Gods as kind of a side quest. Now Sargeras is more or less out of the way, they're like "well, crap, what now?"

That's not entirely true. Sargaras was always driven by his extreme fear of the void. his end all solution to stopping the void was to create burning legion to destroy everything first. That the universe was better to be destroyed by the burning legion than to be consumed by the void. Sargeras was driven mad and a bit insane in his solution, but he was never the biggest bad of them all, the void that drove him to madness in first place is the big bad that is end all for wow.

The old gods aren't after thought either, as they have always been lower entities of the void. if anything, they are a genuine threat of things to come.

Now don't get me wrong, i'm not defending blizzards plot holes and imperfect story telling, but it's clear there has ALWAYA been a road map toward the void, after sargeras. They may be making up some things as they go along but to say they are COMPLETELY winging it at this point is still quite false.

Комментарий от Vibriss

on 2019-01-12T00:40:05-06:00

Yeah, people are already feeling like they dont know where to go anymore, just look at Uldir, that place is a mess where most bosses is just random pixels to kill without any good lore or backstory.

Compared to Tomb of Seargeras, where every boss but Kil'Jaeden was something out of nowhere, Uldir has it nice. Actually, only three bosses there have no backstory: Zek'voz, Vectis and Fetid Devourer. These are handwaved as experiments being locked up.

We see Taloc during Nazmir questline. We seem to destroy him by dropping a nuke on him, but he survives and so we finish him off in Uldir (hence why he has less than full health).

MOTHER is mentioned by Keeper Hezrel several times in Nazmir quests and Underrot: he tries to contact her in order to, I suppose, share information about the infection of Nazmir, but she doesn't respond.

Zul, we interact with personally. Rastakhan kills him in the end, which is something he clearly was prepared for (the only death he didn't anticipate was the one in the raid).

Mythrax is described as a very ancient being, possibly existing as far back as Black Empire, who was defeated in sacarifice by Sethraliss in order to grant freedom to her children (and possibly all of Zandalar by extention). We see Jak'razet set him free, and later Mythrax appears in climax of the story and destroys the mechanism of the Great Seal - the last one that was keeping G`huun contained.

G`huun is mentioned all over the place, and his story is further told by MOTHER in Uldir.

Of course, if you play Alliance, you would have no idea without reading external materials, because Blizzard thought it would be wise to lock important world-building lore behind factional questlines.

Комментарий от Grumar

on 2019-01-12T01:12:56-06:00

If she turns out to be behind the wrathgate, I'll officially stop caring even slightly about the lore. She wasn't concerned about raising more undead at that point, it was only kill Arthas, that was her only goal. In fact after he died she tried to kill herself, which only after that point did she become obsessed with staying alive and making more undead. She clearly didn't know the plague would be used at the wrathgate either or else she would have been there herself. One of her biggest regrets right before throwing herself off the top of ICC was not being able to be the one to kill Arthas, or at least be present at his death, if she was planning on killing Arthas at the wrathgate with the plague she WOULD have been there. They would have to basically just retcon her character motivations from WC3 ----> WOTLK to make it fit with her knowing the plague would be used there at which point that shows they don't care if they have to ruin their characters just to fit their new garbage lore and I'd be out.

Комментарий от Silmafarion

on 2019-01-12T02:48:15-06:00

Sounds like either Alex Afrasiabi told too much, indicating more stuff about Sylvanas is going to come to light, or that he didn't tell anyone else on his team that she did in fact order the blight at the wrathgate.

Wouldn't be the first time. Garrosh in Stonetalon was a miscommunication between the Alex Afrasiabi and the story department, after all.

Комментарий от SicklyKobold

on 2019-01-12T03:26:01-06:00

We are slowly getting conditioned into accepting the SYLVANAS DID IT! narrative. That's all there is to this 'teasing'.

Комментарий от daros

on 2019-01-12T03:35:01-06:00

As cool and future changing this event was ... im slowly sick of mentioning it.It was first ingame cinamatic but after it there was so many better ones noone ever talk about

Комментарий от Coldleo

on 2019-01-12T09:02:53-06:00

This is a mess. They seem to just be making up the story on the spot.

They kind of have to now, I think. They built Sargeras up to be the ultimate big bad of the Warcraft universe, behind just about everything leading up to this point - the Horde, the Scourge, so on - with the Lich King and (to a degree) Illidan as proxy antagonists, and the Old Gods as kind of a side quest. Now Sargeras is more or less out of the way, they're like "well, crap, what now?"

Infinite Dragonflight causing all sorts of hilarious chaos.

A "perfect" future.

Комментарий от USNFC2

on 2019-01-12T09:13:48-06:00

This is a mess. They seem to just be making up the story on the spot.

They kind of have to now, I think. They built Sargeras up to be the ultimate big bad of the Warcraft universe, behind just about everything leading up to this point - the Horde, the Scourge, so on - with the Lich King and (to a degree) Illidan as proxy antagonists, and the Old Gods as kind of a side quest. Now Sargeras is more or less out of the way, they're like "well, crap, what now?"

There was always a greater evil than Sargeras...or at least for a very long while the story has been that Sargeras when naughty because he saw an even greater evil. I just think they were not ready to have us go after the greater evil directly after Sargeras. Partially because, as of yet, we dont really know much about or even care about that greater evil so the writers need at least an xpac to develope some sort of story around them. Also if we kill the greatest evil in the universe, what then? I doubt the game will ever get us around to killing the void lords, and seriously the only reason to imprison Sargeras instead of kill him like we did all of his minions, is to be able to use him in some later plot device...which itself is kind of silly since the devs had no problem finding ways to bring back Illidan and Guldan and retcon the former.